"Forget it, no matter what that thing is, it has nothing to do with me. It’s best if I have the opportunity to obtain it, but it’s no big deal if I don’t."

Gu Yuan pondered for a moment, then decided not to dwell on it and decided to handle the main task first.

His purpose for coming to Little Iron Cloud Island was to kill Xiu Daozhen for revenge and vent some anger in the process.

However, at present, from what Lu Xue and Blood Cry True Master said, that Zheng Xingkong was also a Yin God Giant, and had been refined into a clone by Elder Chaotic Heaven. Both master and disciple were on the island, so he couldn’t act rashly.

At least he had to plan before taking action.

As for Xiu Daozhen, it was nothing, though suddenly on the Dragon List, having mastered Great Divine Techniques, Gu Yuan still had a way to deal with him.

But Elder Chaotic Heaven was different; although he was merely a clone at the Yin Spirit Realm, Gu Yuan knew that this person was definitely much harder to deal with than Xiu Daozhen.

Therefore, the next step was to look for an opportunity before deciding how to act.

The matter he needed to do right now was to refine the Sha Crystals obtained from slaying Evil Beasts in the Yin Sha Cave a few days ago.

With a thought, nine Sha Crystals appeared in front of Gu Yuan.

These Sha Crystals varied in size.

The smallest was only the size of a pigeon egg, exuding a blue-gold glow, soft and not dazzling.

The largest was as big as a chicken egg, like a golden crystal, and it felt warm to the touch, with cool tendrils emanating which penetrated into Gu Yuan’s body, invigorating his spirit and nourishing even his Divine Soul.

This Sha Crystal naturally came from the Evil Beast King Gu Yuan had defeated.

Gu Yuan raised his hand, and a surge of mana wrapped around all the Sha Crystals, then he used the Heaven and Earth Devouring Divine Techniques to refine their essence.

Soon, these Sha Crystals began to break down, turning into a gaseous mist, and were instantly refined into strange energy absorbed by the Divine Soul within Gu Yuan’s mind’s sea.

In fact, these Sha Crystals are also called Soul Crystals.

This name is due to the various Yin Sha auras in the Yin Sha Cave, originating from the fallen bodies of cultivators, Demon Beasts, and Fierce Beasts on ancient battlefields.

Due to changes in heaven and earth, and various reasons, these bodies gradually became buried deep underground, transforming into various Yin Sha auras over time.

Within these Yin Sha auras, some souls of Demon Beasts, Fierce Beasts, and cultivators were contained. These souls, after being tempered by the Yin Sha aura, gradually combined with it and gave rise to Evil Beasts.

Sha Crystals are the core essence of Evil Beasts.

Thus, these Sha Crystals are solid Spiritual Objects formed from soul essences, refined by the power of heaven and earth, and transformed by Evil Beasts, becoming treasures for cultivators.

This object is extremely hard and has stubborn properties.

For others, it would take three days to refine the smallest piece, but Gu Yuan, with his powerful mana and mastery of the Heaven and Earth Devouring Divine Techniques, found it much easier than other cultivators.

After several hours, the nine Sha Crystals were successively shattered, turned into powder, and scattered on the ground, their essence completely absorbed by Gu Yuan.

At this moment, in Gu Yuan’s mind’s sea, his Divine Soul had clearly undergone a new transformation.

Originally over three inches tall, his Divine Soul had now grown to five inches, not only becoming larger but also much more solidified than before.

Previously, if the refinement level of his Divine Soul was comparable to forty to fifty percent of a Yin God Giant, it was now at sixty to seventy percent, with no visible trace of insubstantiality.

Currently, Gu Yuan’s cultivation in terms of his Divine Soul was already quite close to the Yin Spirit Realm, although he was still lacking in cultivation level compared to a Yin God Giant.

It can be imagined that once he reaches the Golden Core Great Perfection Realm and breaks through the Yin Spirit Realm, he will certainly face no bottleneck obstacles.

Because the key to Shattered Core condensing the spirit is not in shattering the core, but in condensing the soul, in forming the Yin Spirit!

In essence, condensing the Yin Spirit is about nurturing the matured Golden Core with one’s Divine Soul, then actively shattering the Golden Core, letting the soul devour the divine techniques nurtured within, and using them as a host to achieve the Yin Spirit!

Yet Gu Yuan’s Yin Spirit was nearly substantial even without shattering the core; this alone saved him much time and effort.

Moreover, his foundational strength after truly condensing the Yin Spirit following Shattered Core would be much stronger than cultivators of the same level!

In any case, Gu Yuan was in quite good spirits.

...

Several days later.

Gu Yuan enjoyed some Spiritual Cuisine and fine wine on the table before him. After he was full, a maid presented him with spirit tea.

After rinsing his mouth, Gu Yuan waved for her to leave.

Soon, only Gu Yuan and Lu Xue were left in the room. At this moment, Gu Yuan turned his gaze to Lu Xue and asked, "Tell me about the matter I asked you to keep an eye on earlier. What has happened on the island during this time?"

"Yes, Young Master."

Lu Xue’s expression was serene, radiating an aura of poise. Her eyes flashed briefly before she started recounting the various events she had heard about on the island during this period.

Gu Yuan listened attentively, occasionally nodding in agreement. Once Lu Xue finished, Gu Yuan nodded and said, "Alright, I understand. Continue to keep an eye on such matters for me."

Lu Xue’s eyes blinked and she said, "Young Master, a few days ago, the eldest young master sent someone over, saying he wants to meet with you once you leave seclusion."

"The eldest young master?"

Gu Yuan smiled faintly, seeming indifferent.

Xiu Daozhen had hundreds of descendants, but not all of them were successful. The majority failed due to poor cultivation talent, short lifespan, or simply died.

The remaining ones, who advanced to the Celestial Human Realm or Golden Core Realm, held some status on Little Iron Cloud Island.

The eldest young master Lu Xue mentioned wasn’t a direct brother of Xiu Yanqing, but some grandson of Xiu Daozhen, sharing only some bloodline with Xiu Yanqing.

With Xiu Daozhen’s tacit approval, all descendants, including Xiu Yanqing, were engaged in open and clandestine struggles, competing viciously, even killing each other!

Only those who could survive and stand out would garner Xiu Daozhen’s attention.

Therefore, for the eldest brother to send someone for Gu Yuan, he likely harbored some ill intentions!

Original Xiu Yanqing might have felt apprehensive, but Gu Yuan... was totally unconcerned, even considering wiping out Xiu Daozhen’s descendants after finishing his main task before leaving.